Vinpro Technical Harvest Report 2025

Climatic and viticultural trends

production levels (Figure NC 1) . Vigorous shoot growth occurred from mid-October, and early topping encouraged side shoot development. Fruit set was even, although producers noted smaller berries on bunches of some late cultivars. Véraison began in the second week of December, and the ripening tempo was affected by the crop load. Early cultivars, such as Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, as well as Chenin Blanc planted on stony soils, experienced a shorter ripening period. For these cultivars, harvest timing was similar to that of the 2024 season. The remaining cultivars had a later ripening period, approximately 14 days later than the 2024 harvest. General remarks

In the Northern Cape region, leaves remained on the vines later than usual due to warm temperatures that persisted well into June. However,

after a brief cold front (11–12 May) with minimum temperatures dipping below 7 °C, leaves began to fall. Despite a warm autumn and winter, which resulted in the accumulation of fewer cold units, the vineyards still built-up sufficient reserves. This was reflected in the strong and even bud burst. Sap flow became noticeable by mid-July, and woolly buds appeared from 2 September onwards. As usual, the budding period occurred between 12 and 23 September; however, the budding pattern prevented exposure to the late frost events on 1 and 2 October. Budding generally occurred first near the crowns of the vines, with the fruitful buds of long-bearers lagging approximately eight days behind. Where the shoot growth was uneven, earlier tip pruning and shoot thinning were recommended. Chenin Blanc and later-budding cultivars were spared the windy conditions during flowering and fruit set, resulting in particularly good

This season, vineyards were largely spared from diseases and pests. Powdery mildew, which typically arises during the post-harvest period,

especially after a long growing season, was kept at bay with preventive sprays, as rain was expected during the growing season. Frequent heatwaves suppressed disease development but increased weed pressure, and vineyard inter-rows had to be mowed more frequently.

Temperature and windspeed: August to October 2024 (Kakamas) Temparature and windspeed: August to October 2024 (Kakamas)

WSpd km/h 5,07 3,05 6,01 10,10

40,00

25,00

35,00

20,00

30,00

25,00

3,37 4,77 6,03 5,12 5,27 6,74 3,86 3,50 9,69 4,12 6,01 7,77 4,49 4,66

15,00

20,00

10,00

15,00 Temperature (°C)

Windspeed (km/h)

10,00

5,00

5,00

0,00

0,00

1 Aug 2024

8 Aug 2024

15 Aug 2024

22 Aug 2024

29 Aug 2024

5 Sep 2024

12 Sep 2024

19 Sep 2024

26 Sep 2024

3 Oct 2024

10 Oct 2024

17 Oct 2024

24 Oct 2024

Max T °C Avg T °C Min T °C WSpd km/h

Figure NC 1: Daily temperature (°C) and wind speed (km/h) for August, September and October 2025, indicating moderate temperatures and low wind speeds for both budding (red) and flowering (yellow) periods (Kakamas).

VINPRO TECHNICAL HARVEST REPORT 2025 32